Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: The first official album released through Ipecac Records; the label of absurdist vocalist extraordinaire Mike Patton (Faith No More, a million other projects), was this self-titled debut from Fantomas, originally unveiled in 1999. A supergroup with no absolutely zero desire to make it easy on listeners, this culmination of Melvins mastermind Buzz Osborne on guitar, Mr Bungle/Tomahawk/regular Patton cohort Trevor Dunn on bass and Slayer's Dame Lombardo behind the kit, would coalesce all of their most extreme creative proclivities into one bizarre maelstrom of avant-garde cacophony that can barely be fit into the metal genre. Intended as the musical accompaniment to a fictitious comic book, with all track titles even listed as chapter/page numbers (a unique theme that would follow into all subsequent albums), the work has since been praised for its sonic abandon and artistic fearlessness, with one critic once referring to their avant-garde jazzy grindcore as "dada-metal". The project would also finally offer Patton the opportunity to prioritise his experimental forms of voice music and scat singing over traditional vocal cadence or standard lyricism.

Review: Originally released in 2005, the fourth (and subsequently final) album from avant-garde metal absurdist supergroup Fantomas (made up of Faith No More vocalist extraordinaire Mike Patton, Melvin's Buzz Osborne, Slayer's Dave Lombardo, and Mr. Bungle/Tomahawk/reliable Patton bassist Trevor Dunn), furthered their "dada-metal" sonic experimentations to literal cartoon levels of bizzarro wonder. Pulling from plunderphonics to craft a 30-track audible calendar of obscure holidays throughout the month of April, the pieces warp and meander like a grindcore band playing lounge music for anime soundtracks. If that sounds ludicrous and alienating, don't worry, as that only indicates you're sane. Considered almost too challenging for even the most devout of Patton's faithful followers, can you handle the unhinged mayhem of Suspended Animation? The record also comes complete with an accompanying mini-calendar to track the hallucinogenic journey.

Review: Fat Dog's debut album, WOOF., is a frenetic and electrifying trip through a kaleidoscope of genres, encapsulating electro-punk, rock'n'roll snarls, techno soundscapes, industrial-pop and rave euphoria. Frontman Joe Love and synth player Chris Hughes lead the charge, delivering a sonic assault that defies categorisation. The album's tracks, like 'King Of The Slugs' and 'Running,' pulsate with runaway rave intensity, showing the band's knack for combining dance-punk energy with klezmer-tinged interludes and broken-down grandeur. While WOOF. offers few moments of reprieve, its relentless fervor and wracked nerves keep listeners hooked from start to finish. With their rapid ascent and zany hybrid sound, Fat Dog emerges as a captivating force in London's art-rock scene, leaving audiences both fascinated and puzzled by their enigmatic charm.

Review: Bureau B's latest release, curated by Faust's founding member Zappi Diermaier and featuring a collective of musical collaborators including Gunther Wusthoff, continues the band's legacy of radical innovation. Faust, the iconic Hamburg group known for their pioneering role in Krautrock between 1971 and 1974, has consistently pushed boundaries with their avant-garde approach. Their early work is celebrated for its uncompromising and experimental nature, which remains influential today. The new LP, Blickwinkel, offers a fresh perspective on Faust's sonic exploration. This album captures a moment of spontaneous creation, merging industrial noise, unsettling ambience, and psychedelic motorik into a cohesive six-track experience. The record reflects the band's commitment to synchronicity and chance, embodying the spirit of their Krautrock roots while embracing contemporary dynamics. Recorded in a collaborative spirit with Zappi Diermaier on drums, Dirk Dresselhaus on bass, and Elke Drapatz handling electronic effects, Blickwinkel represents a continuation of their experimental journey. Unlike the previous Daumenbruch, which featured long-form compositions, this album delivers a more varied auditory experience with six distinct tracks. The session, held in a home studio, was characterised by a deep empathetic connection among the musicians, resulting in a diverse range of soundsifrom drones and delays to unexpected melodic interventions by Uwe Bastiansen. Each track disrupts traditional stylistic boundaries with elements like baroque strings, quirky horns, and dynamic phasing effects, creating a constantly evolving soundscape. Blickwinkel shows Faust's enduring ability to innovate and redefine their musical expression and their ongoing creative process.

Review: It's absolutely mind-blowing that Faust released this in 1973. Well, if you know Faust then you know when they became active, and as such it's perfectly logical that they were putting records out when this was unveiled. However, the sounds it contains are so beyond the realms of what we associate with that age it's hard to understand how they ever conceived them.

Having said that, some tracks here are more 'normal'. For example the sweet acoustic folk-ish-ness of 'Flashback Caruso', or the strange, trippy jazz blues on 'Hermanns Lament'. But even these seem to have been born in a different world. Or parallel universe. Then you're given the cut and paste broken beat numbers like 'Don't!', and you realise just how ahead of its time this is.

Review: Known for their pioneering Krautrock era from 1971 to 1974, Faust remain a symbol of innovation and avant-garde experimentation. This album encapsulates a moment of unfiltered, collective creativity, presenting six tracks that delve into industrial noise, eerie ambience, and psychedelic motorik rhythms. Under Diermaier's guidance, this iteration of Faust embraces spontaneity and a democratic approach to music, free from external influences. The creation of Blickwinkel involved Diermaier's drumming sessions at Dirk Dresselhaus's (Schneider TM) studio, accompanied by electronics expert Elke Drapatz. This unplanned, collaborative effort led to a range of auditory experiences, contrasting sharply with their previous release, Daumenbruch, which featured more extended, contemplative pieces. Listeners can anticipate a sonic whirlwind filled with drones, rhythmic clamor, and eclectic textures, accented by unexpected elements like baroque strings, lively horns, and trippy effects. Uwe Bastiansen (Stadtfisch) adds melodic layers that complement Dresselhaus's driving bass, infusing the album with its distinctive pagan soundscape. Faust's unwavering dedication to breaking new ground and crafting a truly original auditory experience remains nothing short of spectacular.

Review: Here we go then. Listening to the first two track on Soft Power, Ezra Feinberg's intoxicating third album is quite simply exhilarating. We begin with the gentle and playful, inquisitive electronic balladry of 'Future Sound', which seems to be the very noise of stargazing itself, captured through keyboards and synths set to 'weird'. The title number is equally beguiling, strange and otherworldly. So by the time we're at 'Pose Beams', the track's more solid structure feels like we've finally grounded ourselves, ready for blast-off. That comes with the appropriately-titled 'Flutter Intensity' - which gathers its rhythm like rocket fuel before launching into the stratosphere once again. And it's here we stay, floating on planetary rings and gravity-free air, for the remainder. A record that lead you feeling very fuzzy inside.

Review: On Rosal, Luna Maria Cedron gently brings together the complex influences and facets of her existence, in a complex interweaving of Latin musicalities, ranging from Occitan lyrics, flamenco, and popular Venezuelan ballad styles. Using these structures as a starting point, Cedron gradually moves into an increasingly electronic palette, deploying everything from reggaeton to hybrid abstraction - this begins in a relatively limited fashion in the form of a drum machine backing up a slow flamenco song ('Rosal'), before gradating into more hard-driven bops towards the latter half. As if to convey an increasing defiance, the LP's uptick in trajectory matches the increasing theme of upset at its heart and a railing against the status quo.

Review: The third volume in the Future Sounds Of Kraut series delves deeper into the experimental realms of krautrock, blending its hypnotic rhythms with modern sensibilities. On this release, Fred und Luna lead the charge with their distinctive sound, drawing from the genre's rich history while infusing it with fresh, forward-thinking elements. The album's varied tracks are a journey through intricate loops, motorik beats and atmospheric textures, offering a dynamic exploration of electronic and psychedelic landscapes. A collection that pays homage to Krautrock's pioneers while shaping its own space in the genre, this release is a must-listen for both old and new fans alike.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


The third volume in the Future Sounds Of Kraut series delves deeper into the experimental realms of krautrock, blending its hypnotic rhythms with modern sensibilities. On this release, Fred und Luna lead the charge with their distinctive sound, drawing from the genre's rich history while infusing it with fresh, forward-thinking elements. The album's varied tracks are a journey through intricate loops, motorik beats and atmospheric textures, offering a dynamic exploration of electronic and psychedelic landscapes. A collection that pays homage to Krautrock's pioneers while shaping its own space in the genre, this release is a must-listen for both old and new fans alike.

Review: Perhaps in the future, we'll eat sauerkraut pills instead of having to actually pickle cabbage in order to make it. Such are the musings that compilations like The Future Sounds Of Kraut inspire - but also, perhaps by pure happenstance, they also lead us to wonder: what about the evolution of the contemporary German electronic rock genre of the same name? Celebrating the legacy and influence of the genre and movement that emerged in Germany in the late 1960s and early 70s - but not indulging derivations of your usual Clusters and Cans - this full-length compilation from Compost brings together 19 contemporary krautrock masterpieces, with choice, twinkly cuts from bands and solo artists including Musiccargo, Listening Center, Kosmischer Laufer and Pyrolator. Listen no further than here to hear the changing tide of kraut.

Review: The good folks at Compost have put together a second volume of their Future Sounds of Kraut compilation and once again it is packed with exciting new takes on the age-old genres. Compiler Fred Und Luna features a couple of times including with the celestial synth charms and light electronic rhythms of 'Monotonikum' and elsewhere tried and tested talents such as Thomas Fehlmann with his widescreen cinematic cut' 'Permanent Touch' and minimal favourite Roman Flugel with his delightfully melodic and innocent 'Rules' bring plenty of class the adventurous and accomplished double album. There is plenty to get stuck into here for those who like their sounds sleek, atmospheric and star gazing.

Review: This reissue of Happiness hears a retake of the 1997 album by the British post-rock band Fridge. For those unaware, the band consisted of members of now notable UK solo acts: Four Tet, Adem, and Tarwater. The reissued edition features remastered versions of the original tracks, plus a bonus disc: its serene guitar-driven eclectics and incipient style of folktronica was instrumental in shaping the sound of much underground music to come.

Review: Robert Fripp's pioneering work in electronic music reached its influential peak with the so-called Frippertronics tour of 1979. Creating compelling soundscapes out of tape loops might not seem revolutionary now, but it certainly was at the time, and out of the tour came this limited and highly prized album, perhaps the most sincere recorded document of Fripp's creative breakthrough. Now Let The Power Fall is being pressed on vinyl for the first time since its initial release on Editions EG in the 80s, and it comes with additional versions of '1984' never heard before.

Review: Canadian post-hardcore art-punk collective, Fucked Up, have been releasing projects at a ludicrously prolific rate ever since their 2001 inception, yet even by their own standards, they've gone majorly overboard in the past few years. Following on from 2021's epic Year Of The Horse EP and the 2022 follow up Oberon EP; named after the king of fairies from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2023 saw the release of their sixth full-length One Day (with all member's individual parts recorded under a strict 24-hour time limit) while 2024 birthed two sequels in the form of Another Day and Someday (both recorded with the same mantra). Their eighth album overall, with a promise to take a much-deserved hiatus following release, from the opening squall of 'City Boy', the band's reliable concoction of proggy, art-rock inspired chaotic hardcore is unleashed with allusions to Greek tragedy and even a chorus-like back and forth between the vocals and lyrics, conjuring the type of poetic, epic, theatrical spectacle not traditionally standard for the punk scene. In Fucked Up terms however, it makes perfect sense.

Review: Canadian experimental hardcore collective Fucked Up have grown into underground heroes throughout the years, thanks in no small part to their prolific slew of challenging, conceptual EPs and stellar full-lengths. Originally released in 2008, and described by their label as "an expansive epic about the mysteries of birth, death, and the origins of life (and re-living)", the band's sophomore LP The Chemistry Of Common Life has gone onto become one of the most adored post-hardcore works of the 21st century. Angular and angst-riddled yet exuding nuanced melodies and astute lyrical ponderings, this timeless album is still heralded by many as one of the all time essential "thinking man's" punk projects, and celebrates its 15 year anniversary with a vital reissue.

Review: The Fun Years is a group formed by multi-instrumentalists Ben Recht and Isaac Sparks and they have crafted a fine blend of ambient, drone, post-rock and turntablism since the early 2000s. Baby It's Cold Inside was originally released in 2008 and still stands as their pinnacle with evocative turntable loops creating textures that bring to mind Philip Jeck and Jan Jelinek while baritone guitar drones and subtle processing add depth. Tracks like 'My Lowville' offer slow post-rock motifs while 'Auto Show of the Dead' explores piano and guitar intricacies. This reissue has been remastered by LUPO and is right up there with any 2000s ambient masterpiece.

Review: Since its release almost a decade ago, Furstattl's debut EP for Claremont 56, the revivalist krautrock brilliance of 'Rheinlust', has become an in-demand item. It's for this reason that the label has decided to reissue it, alongside a wealth of other tracks from the Mountaineer offshoot and create this compilation style album. Record one pairs the kraut-goes-space-rock 'Rheinlust' with its' original B-side, the even more cosmic and epic, Can-go-Balearic style brilliance of 'Links Der Pegnitz'. Record two contains two hard-to-find cuts from C56 compilations, the pleasingly upbeat and breezy 'Leerlauf' and the heavier, fuzzier 'Haru', with previously unheard cosmic rock/kraut-disco number 'Fur Paul' (a track named in tribute to Claremont 56 founder Paul 'Mudd' Murphy).

Review: Mercy is a collaborative work between the late great Lee "Scratch" Perry (during his post-Black Ark Studios era), Peter Harris and Fritz Catlin, the drummer from the industrial funk dub act 23 Skidoo. What they cook up is unashamedly experimental outsider works that collide mad mixing desk trickery, Perry's trademark vocal mutterings and plenty of occult sound designs. Melodies are smeared and smudged, rhythms are drunk and off balance and moods range from balmy to bonkers, often within the same damn track. A maverick collage, for sure.